Spain’s El Sueño de Morfeo: “Contigo hasta el final”

Tonight, national broadcaster RTVE hosted their National Final, where folk-pop stars El Sueño de Morfeo would be paired up with their entry for Malmö. The band offered a trio of songs to the Spanish public and a three-member jury (consisting of commentator José María Íñigo, 2002 Eurovision performer Rosa López, and 2013 Italian representative Marco Mengoni).

After “Dame tu voz”, “Atrévete”, and “Contigo hasta el final” were performed, and a veritable cavalcade of performers took to the stage with ESDM, the votes were tallied and one entry took an overwhelming victory.

Claiming maximum points from all three jurors as well as the public televote, El Sueño de Morfeo will be performing “Contigo hasta el final (With you until the end)” in Malmö this May.

While all three contenders were strong, it became evident by the end of the show that “Contigo hasta el final” was the favorite among the judges, the audience, the show’s host, and the band itself. It was almost reminiscent of the 2011 Dutch National Final, where it was almost palpable how much the 3JS preferred “Je vecht nooit alleen” over the four other candidates. It also sits in stark contrast to the Spanish National Final that same year, where two songs written for Lucía Pérez were tied, and despite her request to perform “Abrázame” in the final round of competition, the jury’s selection of “Que me quiten lo bailao” went on in the competition.

In those rare National Finals where a single artist submits multiple songs, I actually appreciate when the performer has their say. Considering that they are the ones who will have to present the entry to potentially one hundred million people (and live on in perpetuity on YouTube and ESC archives for years to come), it’s an advantage for them to perform the song that they are happiest, most comfortable, or most passionate about. Even when a performer has written all of the candidate entries themselves, a favorite may still rise to the top during the process of recording and refining. What I’m less comfortable with, however, is when a host or commentator’s input could potentially sway an audience’s vote. Instead of a presenter’s passing comment of “oh, this was your least favorite of the three, right? Mine, too” (which happened during tonight’s Final), it would be just as easy for the vote to be split into thirds: jury, public, and the artists themselves. That way, the performers have their say without potentially swaying a jury that is supposed to be impartial.

But that’s just my opinion…what do you think? And what’s your take on this Celtic-tinged pop song?